


The Therapeutic Importance of Frozen Treats

by Akaihyou, dapatty



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Audio Format: MP3, Audio Format: Streaming, Collaboration, Family, Fluff, Gen, Ice Cream, Ice Cream Parlors, Podfic & Podficced Works
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-21
Updated: 2017-08-21
Packaged: 2018-12-01 18:37:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11492304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akaihyou/pseuds/Akaihyou, https://archiveofourown.org/users/dapatty/pseuds/dapatty
Summary: Bucky has a nice day. Involving ice cream. All the ice cream.





	The Therapeutic Importance of Frozen Treats

  1. Cover Art by dapatty.

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## Streaming Audio

## Downloads

    * [MP3](http://dapatty.parakaproductions.com/Pod%20Together/The%20Therapeutic%20Importance%20of%20Frozen%20Treats.mp3) | **Size:** 8.7 MB | **Duration:** 00:16:15
    * [Podbook](http://dapatty.parakaproductions.com/Pod%20Together/The%20Therapeutic%20Importance%20of%20Frozen%20Treats.m4b) | **Size:** 7.5 MB | **Duration:** 00:16:15  
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It started in Ohio, of all places. Becca’s eldest daughter, Ellen, invited him to meet her branch of the family.

“Now, I understand if Lancaster or the idea of the Midwest isn’t very exciting,” Ellen said, mixed with sounds of her working on a pie crust and muttering at the lattice to ‘just cooperate already.’

“Honestly it sounds pretty great,” Bucky admitted. He’d travel for good pie alone, but some quiet sounded amazing.

After being captured, fighting for his life repeatedly, seeing the really damn cool place that’s Wakanda with a bonus new arm, actual space shenanigans, and being cleared as a free man, boring sounded great. Boring sounded perfect, even. He’d gladly deal with the sounds of nature over city traffic if it meant no one made him do anything exciting involving actual space ever again, thank you. He just didn’t expect to rediscover the wonders of ice cream.

They’d ended up in Bexley on a Tuesday afternoon, late June heat reaching unbearable. He tagged along as Ellen took a couple grandkids, Elenor and Jacob, for violin lessons.

“Now, while they’re in there, we have time to walk over and get a couple pizzas at Rubino’s,” Ellen said. “You like pizza right? Thin crust not something you’re against, I hope.”

“It’s pizza. Who doesn’t like pizza?” Bucky said, thinking of Clint and the pie shops they frequent. Between the two of them, they’ve got a pretty good rating of at least two of the boroughs.

“Just checking, you can always get an extra scoop of ice cream at Jeni’s if it isn’t filling enough.” Giving his arm a pat, she lead them down the block. He was glad for the silicone sleeve for his arm. Wearing anything more than a tee shirt in this heat would have sucked.

Rubino’s turned out to be a brick building with the door propped open, fans running on high with a cash register that might be original to when the place opened sometime in the 70s. The guy at the counter greeted Ellen by name and her usual cheese pizza order.

“Better add a meat lovers today for me and the cousin,” Ellen said, as he relayed it to one of the cooks beside him.

“Great, and where’s the cousin from and why haven’t you brought him in before now?” The guy looked over his glasses at Bucky. His cap was sideways and he had a large smattering of flour on his apron. The phone had been ringing since they walked in and he made no move to answer it.

“Because he’s from Brooklyn and been busy?” Bucky didn’t mean to make it a question.

“Pretty good pizza in New York,” the guy said, squinting at Bucky a little.

“Some,” Bucky allowed.

“Better here,” the guy smiled, proud. “Ellen, it’ll be about twenty minutes if you wanna have a seat.”

He finally reached to answer the phone just as the one next to it started to ring.

“Thanks Ted.” She ushered them back to a booth in the corner with an excellent sightline to the front door without being asked.

The pizza was surprisingly good even if thin crust wasn’t his preference and they easily ate the large between the two of them. Elenor and Jacob made even faster work of the other pizza when they met them after their lesson.

“Right, just a little ways down the block and I get to give you both enough ice cream to make your Mom hate me a little,” Ellen said, making tickle hands at Jacob, who cackled in anticipation.

“Have you had Jeni’s before?” Elenor asked, pushing her dark curly hair back out of her face.

“I’ve not. Is it good?” Bucky asked, searching his pocket for a hair tie. He brandished it with a flourish.

“It’s the best!” She grinned, reaching for the band and making quick work of a ponytail. “Thank you.”

“You might have to give me some pointers,” Bucky said, half-joking.

“Try everything! Even things you think might be gross,” she said, tilting her head up at him. “Have you considered braids?” She asked, something mischievous tucked into the corner of her eyes.

“I haven’t,” Bucky dredged up some charm and matched her smile. He’d been finding it easier to be someone who felt light enough to do that. “Wait, even if I find something gross? What kind of shop you taking us to, Ellen? I may look like a hipster, but it’s only the hair.”

“Yes, dear,” she patted his arm consolingly. “Trust me.”

 

***

“Okay, I might have to admit,” Bucky said, marveling at the flavors behind the glass, “I might have jumped to unfair conclusions before proper assessment.”

“Duh,” Jacob giggled, then very seriously started to study the little signs for each of the ice cream blends, hopping a little to catch a glimpse at the ice creams themselves.

“Would you like a closer look?” He held his hands out.

“Yeah,” Jacob sighed, reaching over and letting Bucky lift him up. “I’m never gonna be tall.”

“You’ll be tall before you know it,” Bucky reassured.

“No way. Have you seen my dad?” Jacob groused.

Ellen cackled. “Okay, let me try the Hard Cider Sorbet and the Mocha Black Cherry.”

“Me too,” Elenor chirped.

“Nice try,” Ellen quipped.

“Well then the Cherry one and the Cream Puff one,” Elenor settled.  
“I don’t know where to start,” Bucky admitted.

“Try the Milkiest Chocolate and then the Cream Puff,” Jacob suggested. “You can try more exciting flavors after.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Bucky agreed and smiled at the grinning woman behind the counter.

“First time customer, I take it,” she said.

“Yeah,” Bucky smiled, a little sheepish. He was proud that he could be in an ice cream shop now after four years of freedom. The air conditioning felt refreshing and not oppressive. The part of his brain that would have freaked out about this lay quiet today. He could just feel Steve smiling proudly back in New York and not knowing why.

“The Milkiest Chocolate is an excellent place to start,” the woman said, grabbing a small metal spoon and getting a bite of ice cream on it. “It’s smooth, not too rich, perfectly creamy.”

He took the spoon and tasted the perfectly sweet just right amount of cocoa that almost seemed light despite the richness. He might be more than a little in love. He almost might have made a slightly indecent noise, if the laughter Ellen was bent over with was any indication.

“I take it you’d like to try the other chocolate flavors?” the woman, whose nametag read Izzy, asked.

“For starters,” Bucky agreed.

He tried _all_ the flavors much to the encouragement and enthusiasm of Jacob. He ended up with a three scoop bowl containing Blackcurrant Lambic Sorbet, Darkest Chocolate, and Cream puff. He was gonna need to take a couple pints back to Ellen’s for the remainder of his stay. He said as much.

“They’ve got a recipe book, dear,” Ellen said, scrapping the last of her Middle west Whiskey and Pecan two scoop. “You could even have the run of my kitchen to figure it out. I’ve been meaning to buy an ice cream maker anyway.”

“I couldn’t possibly—.” Bucky started but Ellen cut him off.

“Yes you could. You’ve fixed the tractor, helped extensively with all the gardening and repaired the roof. The very least you could do is learn how to make ice cream to go with my pies.” She looked over her glasses at him.

“Well, when you put it like that,” he said, feeling completely touched and trying to school his face.

“Play your cards right, and I might just teach you my secret pie crust recipe,” Ellen said.

“Butter,” Elenor said. “Her secret is butter.”

“Traitor,” Ellen grumbled, smiled tucked into the corner of her mouth.

Jacob giggled. Elenor beamed proudly.

“Can I have your word that I won’t lose you in bedding if I take you on this appliance getting mission?” Ellen fixed the two children with a stern look.

“No promises,” Jacob said, chomping down on the last of his cone.

“Walked into that one, granny,” Elenor said, primly scraping the last of her chocolate chip mint from her bowl.

Bucky left the small negotiation of whether the kids were ‘totally old enough to wander the store by themselves’— which was not flying with Ellen in the least—to pick up the ice cream recipe book and start reconnaissance about this whole ice cream making business. He might have to admit to being more than a little excited. Might.

 

***

One quick trip to Bed, Bath and Beyond later—where they didn’t lose Elenor and Jacob at all, not even to a very epic throw pillow display that even Bucky had to admit looked very tempting to jump into face first—Bucky was the proud owner of one new ice cream maker, a large metal whisk, and some cheese cloth for those just-in-case berry straining needs.

Back in the car, Ellen pointed the car towards her house.

“Now, do you need a rest, or do you have a plan for what you want to try first?” she asked. “There’s a Kroger on our way home.”

“He wants to make milk chocolate ice cream,” Jacob volunteered from the back seat.

“Jacob,” Ellen warned.

“Probably,” Jacob pleaded, hopefully.

“Chocolate would be a good start,” Bucky allowed. “And if they’re strawberries smell fresh, maybe strawberry ice cream too.”

“Now, you’re playing favorites,” Ellen chided. “I’ll remind you, I’m very open to bribery.”

“Strawberry is mostly a strategic move,” Bucky admitted, typing the last of his grocery list in his phone.

“A delicious and calculated move that I very much appreciate,” Ellen said, warm smile and patted his leg as they pulled into the grocery store parking lot. “Add a bag of ice to your list for the ice baths. My fridge can only produce so much and I have Very Important Lemonade plans.”

“Noted.” Bucky confirmed and added whiskey to his list because that sounded like the sort of lemonade she had plans for. At the very least, he owed her a nice couple bottles.

 

***

Ice cream making turned out to be tricker than he thought, but he approached it like a particular finicky field mission. Also, cream cheese took longer than he’d anticipated to reach optimum temperature, but he agreed with the book that it helped with the creaminess. Ice baths to cool the mixes were the absolute worst. Not even with an advanced technical marvel that was his metal arm could he entirely avoid a mess with the gallon bag when it came to pouring the mix into the maker. He hoped his aim would improve with practice. Or maybe Steve could make himself useful by holding the bag. Cousins under four feet tall were not helpful, even with a stool. But the giggling was a bonus.

With the strawberry in the freezer to set and the kitchen cleaned up so Ellen could start dinner, Bucky pulled out his phone. He toyed with it for a few minutes as he made his way out into the yard and along the corn, toward the barn.

He took a seat on a bale of hay, thumbed through his contacts and called Steve, who answered on the third ring out of breath.

“Am I calling at a bad time?” Bucky asked, only half joking.

“Natasha is a menace, but that’s not news,” Steve said. “We were sparring. I can do that flip thing now.”

“Ah, more thrilling acrobatics to risk breaking your neck with,” Bucky chided.

“Come on! I always stick the landing,” Steve said, something fond tucked in his voice.

“Yes dear,” Bucky said sweetly.

“So, how’s Ohio?”

“Pretty great actually,” Bucky said. “I don’t know what I expected this trip to be, but it wasn’t this.”

“Yeah?” Steve asked, voice quietly hopeful. He must’ve heard something in Bucky’s voice, something lighter maybe. Bucky felt lighter.

“Yeah, it’s been nice to connect with them.” He squinted out the barn door toward the front yard where Jacob and Elenor played some sort of involved game of tag. “They’ve been more welcoming than I could have imagined, but Ellen is a kind of glorious battle axe. You remember Mrs. O’Malley two floors down?”

“I do,” Steve laughed. “I’m glad that you’ve felt at home there.”

“She even let me take over her kitchen. I’m learning how to make ice cream,” Bucky said, smiling.

“What’s there to learn? It’s ice cream,” Steve said.

“You have no idea,” Bucky said very seriously.

“Tell me about it?” Steve asked.

So Bucky did. Somewhere between bemoaning the melting point of cream cheese and the ridiculousness of ice baths, he realized he’s been smiling the whole time.

He wasn’t sure when they started clicking so well again. He knew they’ve struggled to connect and find common ground other than surviving at first other with a side of fighting alongside each other.

Bucky could honestly say that he was proud of them. Sure, he still had bad days and ice cream is harder to make than he’d realized, but he could enjoy it again. Each day was a victory, even if he needed to go back to the grocery. He might even try to master frozen yogurt before he went back to New York.

“You know,” Bucky said, winding down, “you’re totally going to need to buy an ice cream maker.”

“I’m gonna get two because all that sounds delicious,” Steve said and it sounded like he was saying more. Bucky heard a little pride and maybe some love tucked in for good measure. Who knew that the Midwest could be so pleasant?

“Well, maybe three,” Bucky said, after a couple quiet moments between them. “Clint Barton is a human garbage disposal and could eat a gallon by himself without a problem.”

Steve cackled. Bucky could just see him laughing, head thrown back, breathless and giggling.

“I’ve had a really nice day,” Bucky said once Steve had caught his breath.

“Yeah?” Steve asked, hopeful for some reason.

“Yeah,” Bucky said, then smiling wryly. “Mighta been a little better with you though.”

“Aw, you getting all sentimental on me?” Steve teased.

“Yeah, little bit.”

He couldn’t help it. Maybe, just maybe, they’d earned a bit of sentimental and some nice days with ice cream.

“I’ll be home soon,” Bucky promised.

“I’ll be here,” Steve said and it sounded like he was saying everything Bucky had been thinking.

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Notes: It has been an absolute PLEASURE working with akaihyou. They are a delight and brought such fun ideas to the table and I've had a ROMP working with them and hearing how excellent they were able to shape the story with their performance.


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